The Jolly Milkmaids

by Pete Bodo

Good mornin', everyone. Just thought I'd jump in to give y'all a new place to discuss the weekend's action—and a danged good tennis weekend it is, given that this is perhaps the slowest time of year. It's still winter in most of TennisWorld, the two big Masters 1000 events that usually declare the arrival of spring are still weeks away, and the Australian Open is just a memory—remember how crazy you were, setting the alarm for 3 a.m. solely to see David Nalbandian bag it, or Marcos Baghdatis spin his wheels yet again?

Anyway, we have a new WTA No. 1 in Kim Clijsters, and all I can say to fans of newly-stripped Caroline Wozniacki is that if you look at Clijsters' record, you will find more than enough reason to feel optimistic. Clijsters was No. 1 on three different occasions in the past, the last time a full 256 weeks ago, ending in March of 2006. The takaway: the No. 1 ranking isn't like your Sweet 16 party. You can have it more than once. In fact, you can earn it and hold it any number of times (by my count, Martina Chris Evert and Steffi Graf are tied for the most number of times they held the No. 1 ranking, at nine times apiece. That 10th time, it must be a real bear!).

More importantly, Clijsters also started her career as a No. 1—and former No. 1—without having won a major. In fact, two of the three times she was ranked No. 1 she was still without a Grand Slam singles title. And just look at her now.

Now, am I the only one who sees a certain similarity in the broad profiles of these two women, starting with their shape and musculature? These ladies could make a brace jolly milkmaids. They're fleshy and sturdy, strong, rosy-cheeked and clearly capable of doing chores. And their games are similar in at least one significant way—they play a punishing brand of tennis. Wozniacki's forehand many not have the same sting (yet) as Clijsters', but in a general way Caro is already a lot steadier than the present incarnation of Clijsters, and she's every bit as much the athlete, albeit in a less spectacular way (no splits, thank you very much, but plenty of court sense and anticipation).

And let's remember that there was much weeping and gnashing of teeth when Clijsters first became No. 1, because she was perceived as undeserving in a much more profound way than Wozniacki (or even other Slam-less No. 1s, Dinara Safina and Jelena Jankovic). Clijsters had been to three finals and five semifinals or better without winning a major when she first hit no. N in August of 2003 (just a week after she hit No. 1 in doubles, it ought to be noted). Clijsters problem was the same one faced—and eventually overcome—by Ivan Lendl and even Navratilova. All three started their careers as serious chokers; avert-your-eyes, this-is-getting-ugly-grade chokers. And just look what became of them.

So while Clijsters and her legion of fans have good reason to celebrate and enjoy the sweet taste of vindication, there's no reason for Wozniacki to feel bereft. The idea that she might take her loss of the top ranking as a blow is absurd. If anything, this brief interval she spent at No. 1 ought to be an appetite whetter. More than any other WTA competitor, including Clijsters, she seems to have the stamina and temperament to keep her nose to the grindstone. And she'll have one enormous advantage over Clijsters as this year unfurls—youth. Wozniacki, at 20, is driven and can afford to be obsessive and full-focused on the simple ask of winning tennis matches.

We can expect Wozniacki to make some moves. She can pick up some ground by improving on her third-round loss in Dubai and her quarterfinal loss in Miami. But she has to defend losing finalist points at Indian Wells. Clijsters has to defend the Miami title points, but she can gain ground by improving on her third-round finish at Indian Wells in 2010. Odds are that the women will go into the spring on clay without a significant gap in their rankings points.

The big question in my mind is, just how much does this No. 1 ranking mean to Clijsters? She seems to have developed extraordinary mechanisms for coping with or avoiding the stress that often accompanies high achievment in tennis; in some ways, she's a role model. But so far, nobody—but nobody—in tennis' Open era has been able to remain No. 1 for any appreciable time without deeply caring about it. If actions speak louder than words, Clijsters has told us that she really cared about taking her chance to nail down the No. 1 ranking again. Let's see how she feels about holding onto it.